OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of TCM therapy for detoxification, removing stasis, and nourishing yin on corticosteroid-induced hyperlipemia in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and to investigate its mechanism.

METHODSOne hundred and seventy patients with SLE were randomly assigned to the integrative medicine group (IM group) and the Western medicine group (WM group), 85 in each group. Also, 30 healthy subjects selected from blood donors were enrolled in the normal control (NC) group. All patients were treated mainly with prednisone, while those in the IM group were given TCM therapy additionally, and the therapeutic course for both groups was 6 successive months. The changes of serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) and apolipoprotein A (ApoA) were determined and observed. A 2-year follow-up study was carried out in 16 patients of the WM group and 25 of the IM group.

RESULTSBefore treatment, no significant difference had been found among the three groups in the serum levels of lipids and lipoproteins. After the 6-month treatment, as compared with the WM group, the IM group showed lower levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, and VLDL-C (P<0.05 or P<0.01) and higher levels of HDL-C and ApoA (P<0.05). A similar effect was also shown by the follow-up study in the IM group (P<0.05 or P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONTCM therapy for detoxification, removing stasis, and nourishing yin can effectively regulate the levels of serum lipids and lipoproteins in preventing and treating SLE patients with corticosteroid-induced hyperlipemia.